Beach Therapy

The proximity to the beach has served me well over these past 5 to 6 months mostly due to the fact that it has given me a place to go when I just wanted to get out of my house and have some alone time. The beach is a great companion because it allows you to think and be alone with yourself to reflect or just relax. Before coming to Malaga I would often usually daydream about what it would be like to live near the beach and have the luxury to enjoy it anytime I want. Now that I have this great opportunity to not only be in a foreign country to experience and learn culture but I can also take advantage of the beach and all it has to offer. I remember the first time I ever went to the beach in Malaga, the one in El Palo, to be exact, it was the first day I arrived in the city and had a great desire to explore my surroundings. When I first saw it, it gave me relaxation right way. It was as if all my worries were lifted away from me and I was left there to enjoy the beauty I had in front of me. The ocean breeze is one of my favorite things and it has always brought me a great deal of peace and serenity.

In the USA, I do not have the opportunity to enjoy the beach anytime I want and so being in Malaga has given me yet another gift. The beach not only has had and continues to have an affect on me, it also effects the Malaguenan people. It is often said that southern Spaniards are more open and friendly and now I can clearly say that this generalization, almost stereotype, is a correct observation of the people. The close proximity to the beach allows people to relax and open up more easily compared to people that live in places inland. Not only has the beach served as a type of therapy but it also has turned into an anti-stress remedy for life.

I hope that I fully take advantage of the not ever 2 months I have left in Malaga and fully take in as much as I possibly can. The beach, in my opinion, is a big part of this Spain experience because without it I would not have been able to learn and observe a lot of little things that have made my stay in Malaga that much better.

Spain’s focus on specialization

During my time abroad, I have noticed an interesting characteristic of Spanish society. I am honestly not completely sure how to refer to it, but I suppose the word closest in meaning would be specialization. What do I mean by this?

In Spain, it is much more common to see stores that concentrate on a specific product or service, rather than larger stores such as Wal-Mart or Target. I have contemplated the benefits of this system, the most obvious being an increase in efficiency and the mobility of individuals; on the other hand, a disadvantage includes the inability to visit one place for many of your needs. Theoretically, the quality of the bread at the panadería around the corner from my apartment is higher than the quality of baked goods at Alcampo, the closest thing I’ve found to Wal-Mart in Spain. So overall, perhaps a belief in quality over quantity is valued more than it is in the United States. I’m sure that one could hypothesize many more insinuations of this particular method.

However, the reason specialization caught my interest was that it appears to extend beyond the shops and stores that line the streets. People are included in this observation, specifically in terms of students. Not only do students have to choose a career track while in school, as their American counterparts do; they are pushed to make that decision at a younger age. While we are encouraged to explore our options in college (at 18-20 years) and take a variety of courses until we find what appeals to us most, Spaniards must decide at 15 or 16 which career track serves them best. Furthermore, once their future has been defined, it is even more difficult to change their decision. This is only what I have observed, and I do not claim to know whether or not Spanish students approve of this system, but it would be interesting to find out.

Mood Determined By the Weather

Looking out my window today I cannot help smile, mostly because it is sunny and relatively warm outside. It is hard to not notice the amazing fact that when the weather changes so does the people’s attitudes. For example, 2 weeks ago I found myself at the beach with a couple of friends while having a drink and we were not the only ones to have this brilliant idea since it seems like every Malageno wanted to enjoy the nice weather at the beach. People were laughing, enjoying themselves outside and were just happy to not be stuck inside the house anymore. Not only are young people out and about but also older crowds accompanied by a lot of children who are eager to play in the sand with their friends.
Normally when it rains in Malaga, everything in the city slows down and gets more gloomy. Especially the transportation system, mostly because they are not very used to driving in the rain, the bus usually arrives 20 to 25 minutes after the intended time. Once on the bus, the mood seems to be a homogeneous type of sadness and fatigue almost caused by the weather that surrounds them. Some people love rain and gray weather while others love the sun and the warmth of the sun. both of which are quite justified in their preference regarding the weather. This distinction of weather preference does not seem to exist in Malaga. The attitudes are either black or white and there are usually no shades of gray to express the feeling.
Hopefully the sun will keep on shining on Malaga and the people keep enjoying their beautiful city and take advantage of everything that surrounds them.

Pyrotechnics: a Family Affair

Cultural identity takes many forms, and for Valencianos of all ages, that form is the petardo (firecracker). Valencia’s love for all things that go boom culminates every year in a week long celebration called Las Fallas. During this celebration there are fireworks, flaming wooden structures in intersections, and daily explosions called Mascletas- picture the Fourth of July on anabolic steroids. Writing it off as yet another ridiculous celebration, of which Spain boasts quite a few, the true importance of Las Fallas was unclear to me. For the Valencianos however, this is a matter of deep cultural pride. The first thing that surprised me was the level of participation from all age groups. Watching the many spontaneous parades, I saw the elderly, the middle aged, and most surprisingly the adolescents, all happily marching in traditional garb. There was no embittered look of angst on the faces of the teenagers, only pride and a sense of identity. Mothers pushing infants in strollers clogged the tiny winding streets of the city, a sign that the spirit of Las Fallas is taught at a young age. At the risk of sounding culturally intolerant, I must say that Fallas fever may be blinding the judgment of some Valencianos. Toddlers ran about, seemingly unsupervised, with slowly burning wicks and pockets full of explosives. I soon discovered, to my shock, that in nearly every case, the toddler was indeed being supervised, or rather encouraged to take part in the pyromania. This early exposure to explosives, fireworks, and massive bonfires all leave their mark on the Valenciano. Not just synchronized semi controlled insanity, not just another unique celebration; Las Fallas has transformed the cultural identity of the Valenciano.

I just want to say that I really like Zapatero: Some Spaniards will disagree

It might just be his vibrant baby blue eyes or his deep dimples that gives him an innocent (I can do no harm) appearance, but I get really excited every time Zapatero comes on the television. The last time I watched him on television, he was answering questions from a selected audience, kind of like a town hall meeting, but with an elected Prime Minister. He was talking one on one with his citizens answering their concerns, in what appeared to be straightforward without a sneaky political agenda. I admired the intimacy of his contact with the citizens and more so the questions being asked were real concerns that are affecting the Spanish people. The economy is a given, and he obviously has a hard time convincing the people that they can make it out of the crisis when the level of unemployment in Spain is the highest in Europe and steadily increasing. There were of course other issues on the table, one of which is where a priest vigorously demanded to know if Zapatero really thought a fetus was not a baby and if he thought it was right to kill it. He was of course referring to the changes being made toward the legality of abortion, where the government wants to make more provisions and access to abortion. Aside from this, the Zapatero government (PSOE) has pushed to legalize gay marriage and adoption by same-sex couples, reduce the role of religion in schools, grant more political power to Spain’s provinces and better integrate immigrants since the election in 2004 preceded by the more conservative Partido Popular( PP). These social changes have been for the most part well applauded, but now with the economic crisis, it begs the question of whether this Socialist government is equipped to handle the challenges that it is being faced with.

Ive had one too many debates over the subject of Socialism vs Capitalism with one too many Spaniards. In the end, I never know why I always defend capitalism when although its claim to fame is democracy and rights for all, the most capitalist country in the world, still has yet to give gays equal rights passing laws like Proposition 8 in California to restrict same-sex marriage. They both have their upsides, and I think we waste so much time and bickering pondering on which one works better, when the our concerns should be whether or not the laws of a country is working for the good of ALL its citizens …obviously we don’t live in a perfect world and this would never happen. But, let’s think for a moment about Spain who just 40 years ago was once in a conservative dictatorship and have made these progressions in such a short amount of time, aiming to eradicate religious conservatism and sexual inequality. Obviously these are ideas much more complicated than Im making it, but does it really have to be?

Something to call their own: Flamenco

It is not uncommon to see a group of youngsters walking by in Malaga, vigorously clapping their hands to a beat and shouting “Olé” at various intervals. Flamenco, here in Spain has evolved over the years and today the more popular among the younger generation is the fusion of Flamenco with other types of music, particularly rock. However, Camaron de la Isla will forever remain the legend of flamenco. I witnessed my first flamenco performance last semester at ‘a whole in the wall’ en El Centro. At many moments, I sat in awe of what I was witnessing, an immense amount of passion and talent, something that came from the heart and was sent straight to yours. My favorite part of Flamenco is seeing the woman dance, her body in unison with the music while she makes the most inexplicably expressive faces I have ever seen in my life. I am not ashamed to say that I was left in tears after the performance, very emotional from the profoundness at what I saw.


Needless to say flamenco remains the heart and soul of Andalucía, something that defines them distinctly from the rest of Spain and the rest of the world. When we think of American music, we know that there is a wide range; from hip-hop to country music, being derived from various subcultures. The music that America is mostly known for outside of America is pop music, where the likes of Britney Spears, Madonna, Beyonce etc can be worshipped around the world. I don´t think that this is music that all Americans are particularly proud of mainly because it is so mainstream and can be reproduced by anyone who has access to a camera and can post a Youtube video of them imitating their favorite artist or the latest overplayed song of the moment. Right now Single Ladies by Beyonce comes to mind. In this aspect however, there is no one genre of music that can define Americans or its culture. Flamenco however, is a culture on its own, something that defines Spanish culture, particularly Andalucía, something to call their own.

My Conversation With Carlos

My conversation with Carlos came about after my host mom asked if I would be willing to speak in English to a friend of hers, so he could practice before his exam. I agreed, and the next day Carlos and I went to a tapas bar in Pedregalejo for a beer. He was curious about Dickinson and the study abroad program and the cities we had visited. And after hearing the long list, he admitted that I had seen more of Spain in five months than he had seen in his entire life. At first, this came as a surprise, but later I realized that our group has probably seen more of Spain than a very large majority of Spaniards.

From that point on, the majority of the conversation turned to topics concerning the United States. Inevitably, he told me he wanted to visit California and New York, but was disappointed after hearing that the United States doesn’t have the high speed rail system like those in Europe. Though, I was caught off guard when he brought up the NBA (about which I know next to nothing) and started throwing out names of players and teams. It was also interesting to hear that he loved big, gas-guzzling American cars. After we had finished talking, we got up and he insisted on paying for my beer because I was in his country. I think that encounters like these are important because, despite the usual negative feedback we receive, they show you that there are many things people like about the United States.